Michael Jackson’s ‘Off the Wall'; 30 years ago; August music memories

Thirty years ago this month, I was preparing my senior year at Skyline High in Oakland. I distinctly remember a catchy, slick, ultra-cool song track called “Off the Wall“, from the same-titled album, released on August 10, 1979. It was MichaelJackson’s last “big”-seller before his mega-release, “Thriller“, three years later.

Jackson’s “Off the Wall” was a departure from his previous work for Motown. It was more a musical reflection of contemporary rock, funk, and soft-soul disco. Some of Jackson’s fans both back then and now often refer to this album as “Michael’s last bit of ‘normalcy'”, before venturing off to mega stardom and the years of transformation both on and off the stage.